"The price" is a song about the sacrifices we make to achieve our goals. Twisted Sister was on the verge of a breakthrough when they wrote this song, but it was a long struggle to reach that point. Snider joined the band in 1976, and they gradually built a following in the New York City area with their live shows. Their first album, Under the Blade, was issued in 1982, followed by You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll in 1983. It was during the recording of You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll that Snider wrote the Stay Hungry album, including this track. The dream did indeed come true when the album became a hut hit, led by the singles "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock." But when it was written, this dream was anything but a sure thing.
For Snider, the price of pursuing his dream of rock stardom was steep, as it meant time away from his family.
"I had been away from home for four months from my wife and my son, and not even in a position to pay for a phone call. That's how hungry the band was. I wrote 'The Price,' inspired by those feelings at that time."
Lyrics
How long I have wanted this dream to come true
And as it approaches, I can't believe I'm through
I've tried, oh, how I've tried
For a life, yes a life, I thought I knew
Oh, it's the price we gotta pay and all the games we gotta play
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to carry on
'Cause it's a game we gotta lose, though it's a life we gotta choose
And the price is our own life until it's done
Time seems to have frozen but the mind can be fooled
As the days pass I discover, destiny just can't be ruled
Hard times, oh, hard times
For the prize, yes the prize, I thought I knew
Oh, it's the price we gotta pay and all the games we gotta play
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to carry on
'Cause it's a game we gotta lose, though it's a life we gotta choose
And the price is our own life until it's done
Oh, it's the price we gotta pay and all the games we gotta play
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to carry on
'Cause it's a game we gotta lose, though it's a life we gotta choose
And the price is our own life until it's done
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